Self-storing permanently attached can opening means
OwnerKarl Walz, Sr.inventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention relates to self-storing can opening means suitable for permanent attachment to thin-walled metal beverage cans and incorporates a thin-walled metal cover for a can including an initially sealed flap portion thereof moveable to provide a raw edged circular access opening therethrough by means of an easily manually moveable pull tab permanently attached to the cover with a circular ring portion thereof initially secured in a first ready position adjacent to the cover and finally secured in a second protective position flush with the cover with its circular periphery deformably engaging and thereby sealing the circular peripheral raw edge of the access opening through the cover.
Claims7
On a hollow container for pourable contents contained therein sealably closed by a thin-walled cover therefor, and having attached thereto manually operable opening means therefor,
- the combination on the thin-walled cover thereof, of:
- a relatively movable flap portion delineated by a continuously arcuately curved breakaway peripheral edge with mutally spaced hooked ends together defining a first self-hinged portion flexibly supporting the flap portion of said cover for movement from a first stored position in sealed engagement with the surrounding relatively fixed portion of said cover to a second open position substantially perpendicular to the surrounding relatively fixed portion of said cover and within a container to which said cover is attached,
- a pull tab having an annular ring portion with a continuously arcuately curved periphery so shaped and sized it may be mutually engaged and interfitted with the continuously arcuately curved edge of the access opening through said cover provided by rotating said flap portion from its first to its second position,
- said annular ring portion of said pull tab supporting a relatively smaller flap actuating portion projecting outwardly therefrom and being supported resiliently by a pull tab mounting portion projecting inwardly therefrom to which said annular ring portion is connected by a second flexible self-hinged portion for manually actuated movement from a first ready position with the annular ring portion of said pull tab disposed adjacent to and spaced slightly from the outer surface of said cover to a second protective position with its periphery mutually engaged and interfitted with the edge of the access opening through said cover, and
- attachment means securely connecting said pull tab mounting portion of said pull tab to said cover with the flap actuating portion of said pull tab overlying said flap portion of said cover,
- whereby manual movement of said pull tab from its first ready position to its second protective position so moves the flap actuating portion of said pull tab as to move the flap portion of said cover from its first stored position sealably closing said cover to its second open position to release the pourable contents of a container to which said cover is attached.
In combination with a hollow container for a quantity of liquid or other pourable contents, initially provided with an opening therethrough for filling the container, and arranged to be enclosed and sealed by a cover for the opening therethrough attached permanently to the container to secure, protect and preserve its contents,
- a thin-walled cover for a hollow container including a circular flap portion having a scored peripheral edge thereof partially cut through the cover and having oppositely hooked ends thereof forming the respective mutually spaced sides of a narrow hinge portion flexibly interconnecting the circular flap portion and the surrounding fixed portion of said cover to which it is thereby attached, as the circular flap portion is rotated from a first closed position in sealed engagement with the fixed portion of said cover and a second open position extending inwardly from beneath the fixed portion of said cover into a hollow container to which it is attached, in order to provide an unobstructed circular access opening through said cover,
- a pull tab permanently attached to said thin-walled cover adjacent to the circular flap portion thereof,
- said pull tab including a relatively larger generally circular annular ring portion also of circular cross section at least along a semi-circular first side of the annular ring portion of said pull tab, thus so shaped and arranged as to be engaged comfortably by a person's finger for its manual movement in one direction only from a first ready position of said pull tab in which it is stored with the semi-circular first side of its annular ring portion disposed closely adjacent to but spaced from the outer surface of said cover to a second protective position of said pull tab with a predetermined portion of the periphery of the semi-circular first side of its annular ring portion engaging and slightly beneath the adjacent semi-circular side of the circular access opening through said cover, formed by displacing the flap portion thereof, to maintain the annular ring portion of said pull tab disposed generally concentrically within and adjacent to substantially the entire peripheral raw edge of the circular opening,
- said pull tab also including a relatively smaller flap actuating portion extending radially outwardly from an opposite side of its annular ring portion, initially positioned overlying but out of engagement with an adjacent section of said circular flap portion and moveable with the annular ring portion of said pull tab, first to break open and then to rotate said flap portion inwardly of a hollow container to which said cover is attached and finally positioned beneath said cover,
- said pull tab additionally including a pull tab mounting portion extending radially inwardly from the opposite second side of its annular ring portion disposed in mutual engagement with the outer surface of said cover, and
- attachment means securely connecting the pull tab mounting portion of said pull tab permanently to said cover adjacent to said flap portion thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.